View from HQ by Dave Mathewson, AMA Executive Director
Another busy summer at AMA
Activity is ramping up at the International Aeromodeling Center. By the time this issue of MA reaches you, we will be a week or two away from the beginning of the outdoor portion of the 86th National Aeromodeling Championships (Nats).
National Aeromodeling Championships (Nats)
The competitions officially begin on Monday, July 9, with RC Scale Aerobatics and run through Wednesday, August 15, concluding with RC Helicopter. In between those two events will be competitions in all the other RC, CL, and FF disciplines. A Nats event calendar can be found on the AMA website.
If you're a participant in this year's Nats, we look forward to welcoming you to Muncie, Indiana.
Visit Muncie attractions
For families, there are a number of attractions in the Muncie area to visit during your stay:
- Ball State Planetarium and Observatory: Part of the Ball State University campus, featuring great summer programming on planets, galaxies, and constellations.
- Muncie Children's Museum: A 24,000-square-foot facility in downtown Muncie housing nearly 20 interactive exhibits for kids of all ages.
- Minnetrista: More than 40 acres of landscaped gardens and grounds with continuously changing exhibits focused on nature, gardens, local history, and art.
- Numerous other attractions are available as well.
If you'd like to know more about what Muncie has to offer during your visit, brochures from the Muncie Visitors Bureau and the Muncie-Delaware Chamber of Commerce will be available in the lobby of the AMA Administration Building.
National Model Aviation Museum
While you're on-site, plan to spend some time in the National Model Aviation Museum. The museum—the largest of its kind in the world with more than 9,000 model aviation artifacts—will be open extended hours during the Nats. If you get a chance, please stop in the Administration Building and say hello. A member of the AMA staff would be happy to give you a tour of the facility and introduce you to some of the people on our team who work so hard to support our membership.
Can't attend? NatsNews
If you can't make it to Muncie this year for any of the Nats events, you can stay abreast of the competition by subscribing to NatsNews. Published electronically daily, NatsNews features items of interest, scores, and happenings that take place during the events. You can subscribe by visiting: www.modelaircraft.org/subscribe.aspx
Trade-show news
I thought I'd share some interesting news from the trade show world, especially for our members in Cleveland, Ohio, and surrounding areas. The Hobby Manufacturers Association is moving its 28th annual iHobby Expo to the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio, this year. The show is open to the general public on October 13–14.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
